The Laptop Will Not Turn On: How to Troubleshoot It
By Ruri Ranbe
A laptop may fail to power on for any number of reasons. A damaged or defective motherboard or processor, a broken AC adapter or a drained battery pack can all prevent a PC from booting. If your laptop fails to start, before you assume the problem is related to hardware failure, however, you should first confirm that the cause is not related to a faulty connection.
Step 1
Remove the AC adapter from the laptop. Close the lid to the laptop and flip the computer over, so that the bottom is facing up. Make sure that the battery pack is installed to the appropriate compartment and is locked or screwed in place.
Step 2
Turn the laptop over once again and attach one end of the AC adapter to the power jack, located on the side of the laptop. Plug the AC adapter into the wall.
Step 3
Confirm that the AC cord is securely attached to the power adapter. If your AC adapter is plugged into a surge protector, make sure that the surge protector is plugged into the wall and that the power switch is in the "on" position.
Step 4
Open the lid, then press the "Power" button. If a yellow or red light near the base of the laptop begins to flash but the laptop does not power on, you may need to replace your AC adapter or the power jack on your computer. If no lights appear, you may need to replace the battery or the motherboard.
References
Tips
- Try connecting a different device to the outlet to make sure that the problem is not related to the outlet itself.
Writer Bio
Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.